Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help me with a problem we are having
with our fly food. There are three phenotypes, not necessarily
related.
One is that the food separates somewhat after pouring. There is a
rather clear agar layer over the cornmeal layer. Another is that if
you stick your finder in the tube, the food is not very firm - you
can easily mash it. These two phenotypes were improved but not cured
when I asked the technicians to autoclave the agar before adding it
to the cornmeal mixture (to ensure the agar got boiled). The third
problem, and the one that really upsets everyone is that after larvae
start working the food, the top layer turns to liquid. You cannot
transfer the adults safely because the food comes pouring out as
well. For the time being we are adding tissues to important tubes,
but we need a solution to the problem. Since autoclaving the agar,
the food doesn't appear separated, but the food still becomes liquid
when larvae start eating it.
We've had at least the last part of the problem for about 2 months,
and the technicians swear that nothing changed about the way they do
things.
We use a steam kettle and a 100-hole pull handle dispenser. The
recipe is cornmeal/cornsyrup/malt/yeast/agar recipe.
We will be exceedingly grateful for any help. Please email your
answers to rushton at biology.utah.edu. Thanks!
Emma
--
-
Emma Rushton,
Department of Biology,
University of Utah,
257 South, 1400 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0840
(801) 585-1926 (office)
(801) 585-9425 (lab)
(801) 581-4668 (fax)
rushton at biology.utah.edu
---